Leonard's Decision
by Gregorypeck205
Summary: Leonard is seeing things clearly now and wants to move his personal life forward. There are big decisions in store for Leonard. Rated M to be on the safe side. No Smut. Maybe some language.
1. Chapter 1

**Leonard's Decision!**

 **Leonard has been doing some contemplating on life and decides to take the bull by the horns and have a conversation with Penny about their current and future life together.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2:** **I don't own TBBT or any of their characters.** **To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Chapter 1: The Talk**

Leonard had been doing a lot of serious thinking lately. Most of it revolved around his relationship with Penny. He loved Penny unconditionally. He would do anything for her. His heart soared whenever she smiled. She was his fantasy girl. The one he thought he would never have. But still, there was something about their relationship that just seemed off. He loved spending time with her. Of course, he loved making love to her. He thought their sex life was very good from the amount of screaming Penny always did. But there were a couple of things that were bothering him and he was afraid to have a conversation with her about them because he didn't want to lose her. The problem was he knew he wanted more out of their relationship. He wanted to move forward. They had been a couple for a number of years now but nothing had been discussed about their future. Just as his professional life was moving forward, he also wanted his personal life to move forward. He saw himself with Penny for the rest of his life. He wanted kids with her, the house with the white picket fence and everything else that went along with that. Penny did not seem to want to commit to any of that. She never wanted to talk about it either. Leonard had matured more in his personal life and while still a little insecure about a lot of things; he no longer let that insecurities stop him from what needed to be done. He knew that this was a conversation they needed to have and now was as good time as any to get it done. He also knew it would probably end his relationship with Penny but he still didn't back away from it. He would either be starting a new chapter in his life with Penny or alone. Either way, he would know today. One way or another, he would begin to move his personal life forward. He would either be an engaged man preparing for marriage of as a single man looking for someone to share his life with but what he would not be is a single man in a relationship that is leading to nowhere. Being the organized person that he was, Leonard had already prepared plans for both possibilities. Which plan he would execute depended on the outcome of his conversation with Penny.

Leonard used his key to Penny's apartment, probably for the last time, and let himself in.

"Penny? Are you home?"

"Hey Leonard" she yelled back. "I'm in the bedroom."

"Could you come out here please, I would like to talk to you."

Penny came around the corner from her bedroom and saw Leonard sitting on the couch with a serious look on his face. She already didn't like this. She sat down on the other end of the couch facing Leonard.

"What did you want to talk about?" Penny asked.

"I wanted to get the clearest possible understanding of our relationship and our future." Leonard replied.

"Ok, how are you going to do that?" Penny asked nervously.

"I want to ask you three questions and depending on your answers, or sometimes in your case, your non answers, it should reveal where we are going in our relationship." Leonard explained.

"I thought our relationship was good right now. What has happened to make you think there is something wrong with our relationship?"

"Nothing has happened, so to speak. But your statement in itself kind of reveals a little of the stagnate place our relationship is in."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked a little confused.

"Well, let me ask you these questions and then I will explain."

"Ok, ask your questions." Penny replied a little hesitantly.

"Do you see yourself married to me in the future?" Leonard asked.

Penny was speechless. She wasn't expecting that question. She didn't know how to answer it.

"Let me help you with your answer." Leonard stated. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you if at any time in your future, do you see yourself married to me?"

Penny could be honest and say no. She really liked Leonard and thought they made a cute couple but she had never really thought about marrying him.

"I don't know Leonard, this is just out of the blue and I don't know what you want from me?"

"Very well, my next question is; do you see yourself ever having any kids with me? And again, I'm not asking you to get pregnant any time in the foreseeable future. I'm merely requesting if in any of your future plans, have you thought about the two of us having children together?"

"Leonard, why are you doing this? I don't know what to say. I don't think I have thought about kids at all."

"Ok Penny, last question! Do you love me?"

Penny started stumbling over her words. "I don't know Leonard. This is so sudden. I really like you and I think we are good together. I can't just give you an answer to that out of the blue."

"Ok Penny, I told you I would explain after I asked three questions which I have done. This is what I have ascertained from your answers. My first question was do you see us married in future. You did not answer that question. The thing is Penny; we have been in a relationship for over 2 years. I don't think it's illogical to think that any couple in a relationship that long has not thought about marriage, even if the thought is I don't want to get married. You said my question was out of the blue. I disagree. I think most couples are together to see if they are compatible to start building a life together. After 2 years, you seriously want me to believe that you have not thought about marriage to me one way or another? My opinion of your answer is that it is a dodge so you wouldn't have to tell me that what your thoughts were. That being said, the only logical conclusion one could come to is that you don't see yourself married to me in the future.

Penny gasped, as tears started rolling down her face. How had he known?

"The next question I asked you was do you see yourself having children with me in the future. Again, you did not answer this question. Well, in actuality, you did answer this question when you were not able to answer my first question. I know of couples who love one another deeply and get married and don't want to have kids. What I have never heard of is a couple that does not want to get married but want to have kids. You said you have not thought of kids at all. Again, I don't believe that for a second. Even Sheldon has thought about having kids and he and Amy have not even had sex. There is no way you can say to me you have not thought about having kids. What you can say, which I think you were to chicken to say to my face, is I have thought about having children but just not with you."

Again, Penny was amazed with his analysis of her. He was 2 for 2. In the process of dissecting their relationship and her, he was making her feel like the lowest person on the earth.

"Finally, and this should have been the easiest question of the three to answer. I simply asked if you loved me. After being with me for over two years, you couldn't tell me if you loved me or not. Well, let me rephrase that. You actually did answer that question. You said you really liked me. Basically, another dodge, since the question was do you love me, but still an answer. Penny, you know your feelings toward me. You might not want to say it to my face and I give you credit for that because I know you are not a cruel person and don't want to hurt my feelings. The problem is by not being honest; it keeps us both from moving on and finding that right person who could help make our dreams come true."

"Now Penny, let me answer the same questions I asked you. I absolutely love and adore you. I quite often dream of the day when you and I would be married living in our house with our smart and beautiful children. I have never had this dream about any other woman except you. I have never loved any other woman except you. I wanted it all Penny. I wanted to be a successful physicist, I wanted you to be a famous actress, I wanted us to live in a house with the white picket fence and of course I wanted to have smart and beautiful babies with you. You know Penny; I could do without everything else if I just had you. If you wanted to be married to me because you loved me, nothing else in this world would matter to me."

Because she was crying so hard, Penny was having trouble breathing. What had she done? Why couldn't she love Leonard? But she did love Leonard. So why couldn't she tell him? Why was she such a coward? Why was she letting the best thing that ever happened to her walk away from her? What the hell was the matter with her?

"I won't draw this out any further Penny. I don't think we should see each other anymore. I know in your circle, social convention plays a big part in your status among your friends so if you want to tell them you broke it off with me, I don't mind. I really could care less what people think of me. I'll leave your key here on your table, and Penny!"

She looked up at him as he had gotten up to leave.

"Please don't give up on your dream of becoming an actress. I know my opinion doesn't mean a lot but I think you are a beautiful and gifted actress."

After saying that, Leonard turned and walked out of her apartment. She was crying really hard and really loud now. Leonard could hear her through the door and finally he let the tears he had been holding back slide down his face. He had just ripped his own heart out but it had to be done. He could not stay in a relationship with no future even if it was with the love of his life. Leonard was not up to facing anyone so he decided to go up on the roof and spend a quiet afternoon contemplating his future.

Penny was beside herself. Why did it hurt like this? She had been through many break ups before. Why was her heart hurting so badly? Why did it seem like she had a hole inside of her? Why couldn't she stop crying? Leonard was not some great catch. He was a short, bespectacled nerd. Why was she devastated by him leaving her? Because he was a wonderful, loving, handsome physicist who just happened to be in love with her and wanted to give her everything that all women wanted from their men. The only difference between Leonard and all the other men was that Leonard actually meant it and would spend his life doing everything in his power to make her happy. She was an idiot. A picture came to Penny's mind and she smiled while the tears kept rolling down her face. It was a picture of a little girl with blonde hair like her mother brown eyes like her father. She actually could see having babies with Leonard and the thought made her heart soar. She could see herself standing on their back porch with her hand on her pregnant stomach smiling as she watched Leonard chase their squealing daughter around their backyard. She could see herself look down at the hand on her stomach and see her engagement and wedding bands on her hand. She could see all this and noticed there was no panic in her. There was no fear. But there was a calm and serene feeling of contentment. She could not believe that it took Leonard ending their relationship for her to see she wanted the same things that he wanted. Three simple questions he had asked her and he was right. They were questions she should have been able to answer without even thinking about it. They were questions that she could now answer without giving them a second thought. Do you see yourself married to me in the future? YES! Do you see yourself having babies with me in the future? YES! YES! Do you love me? YES! YES! YES! She had to find Leonard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Leonard's Decision!**

 **This is just after Leonard had ended his relationship with Penny.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2:** **I don't own TBBT or any of their characters.** **To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Chapter 2: The Plan**

Leonard sat up on the roof of his apartment building staring at the sky. He had just done something extremely painful and just wanted to be alone. He was used to pain. Since as far back as he could remember he had been in pain. He had no childhood memories of happy times with his mother. He could not remember his mother ever picking him up and holding him. He knew it had to have happened. There is no way you can have a child and never pick him up. It's just not possible but for the life of him he could not remember one time. He had never received any affection from his parents. His mother was cruel and cold and his father was just indifferent. It was like his mom just considered him a mistake and wanted nothing to do with him and his father recognized that he was his son only because, scientifically speaking, (his sperm and his wife's egg combined to form a human—half from the mother and half from the father). So, Leonard received no love at home from his parents. He was never close with his brother and sister. He never understood this. Usually, siblings cling to each other thinking the only thing they have is each other but this never happened in the Hofstadter home. It wasn't until later, when Leonard was an adult that he realized his mother had purposely kept them from being close. She used her kids as research material for her book. She had given his brother and sister praise and encouragement while barely tolerating Leonard. Since his siblings were getting attention from their mother, they did not feel isolated or abandoned and had no reason to seek out Leonard. They also were encouraged to ignore Leonard and were rewarded for doing so. Leonard was also bullied and mistreated at school. Leonard's brilliance in school was recognized early in his school years. Unfortunately, the praise he received from his teachers was overshadowed by his jealous schoolmates and bullies. While growing up, Leonard suffered emotional pain at home and physical pain at school. So yes, Leonard knew pain well, but the hurt he felt now made the pain he had suffered growing up seem like nothing. This pain was more intense because, looking at it from a clinical standpoint; he knew his feelings for Penny were far too deep for him to be just a friend to her. He knew he could not be near her without wanting her. He was deeply in love with a woman he could not have. He could not stay in the same state, let alone the same city and apartment building with her. He would not be able to bear it when he, inevitably, would see some strange man come out of Penny's apartment. So, just in case this outcome came to fruition, he had come up with the plan. He had put things in place months ago in preparation for the talk. The plan would make his transition to his new life almost seamless as far as logistics was concerned. He didn't even want to think about the emotional side.

The plan was a collection of hard decisions that Leonard had made months in advance so he would not be making them when he was in an emotional state. Those decisions had led to a collection of moves Leonard would have to make once the plan was executed. Leonard had been in talks with Dr. Siebert, the president of the California Institute of Technology and Dr. Gablehauser, the head of the Physics Department at the California Institute of Technology. The talks had been long and sometimes loud and argumentative. Even though Leonard thought of himself as an ok scientist, both men knew Leonard was a brilliant scientist and did not want to lose him. Leonard had explained more than once that it had nothing to with them or his working environment. That this was purely for personal reasons that he was not a liberty to discuss. They both grudgingly agreed seeing how adamant he was about leaving and having this plan in place if things did not go well for whatever he was planning. He did warn them that, if executed, he would be done at the university the day of the phone call and would come in that night to pack up his things. Dr Siebert advised Leonard that they had positions at other colleges and there was one that fit his needs. He said if he considered it, he would still be employed by Cal Tech even though he worked on another university's campus. Leonard was open to the idea and asked what he needed to do to find out more about the job and who he needed to contact if he wanted to accept the job. Dr. Siebert made the phone call to his colleague, Dr Connors, at Texas A&M. Dr Siebert asked him if they still had the position open for an Experimental Scientist that specialized in lasers. Dr. Connors said that it was still open and that they were having a hard time filling it because the position was also a teaching position. Leonard explained his situation and said he would be willing to teach to take the job. Dr Connors was ecstatic at the possibility at having Leonard. Unknown to Leonard, Dr Siebert and Dr. Gablehauser always spoke quite highly of Leonard when they attended high level black tie events and in their monthly university reports. Dr. Connors also informed Leonard that the position came with a raise. Even Dr. Gablehauser and Dr. Siebert didn't know about that. He explained that it was something that was added to make the job more appealing since they were having a problem filling it. Since the position is a Cal Tech position, you will still be getting paid by them but since it will be Texas A&M students you are lecturing, you will also be getting paid by Texas A&M, Dr Connors explained. We also offer a relocation package that includes any fees you may incur like storage or breaking a lease. It also includes travel expenses and hotel costs while you find a place to live. Leonard was very relieved how everything was working out. Leonard had asked Dr Connors if he could send him the name and number of a reputable realtor and received more good news. Dr Connors informed him that he could look for places of his own but the university had two, three and four bedroom homes that they offered their Professors and visiting dignitaries from other countries. The homes were paid for and Leonard would just be required to pay utilities. Since the homes were on the university campus, yard care, trash pickup and landscaping was part of the universities overall landscaping package. The university had to remain nicely groomed to entice prospective students. There were no pets allowed and the only family members that were allowed to live with him were his spouse and kids. Leonard had no problem with this since he had asthma and would never be getting a pet and he was single so a two bedroom home would be perfect. Leonard advised Dr. Connors that he would let him know his decision very soon. He had a personal situation to attend to and he would inform him shortly thereafter. Leonard had already spoken to the owner of a moving company and explained he would need them on standby to send a truck to his place immediately to get his things and put them in the storage. Leonard was very meticulous in his planning and took pictures of everything he would want them to get in case he wasn't able to be there when they came.

What surprised Leonard most was how little preparation he had to do. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The apartment was in Sheldon's name so there would be no lease to break. The roommate agreement was just some cockamamie agreement his whacko roommate had made up that basically had Leonard being a slave to him in order to share his apartment. He was not worried about that in the least plus he would leave 3 months of his half of the rent. If he was leaving, that would mean the talk had not gone well and he would have no ties as far as family was concerned since he would no longer have a girlfriend. He would leave letters for all of his friends explaining why he did things the way he did it. He knew it would be a crappy way to leave but he really didn't want to face anyone. He would have all of his mail forwarded to the university where Dr. Gablehauser would gather it and forward it to where ever he was. He did not want anyone to know since none of them could keep a secret from each other. He would basically just need to get in his car and go.

Leonard decided he would stay in a hotel room tonight and execute his plan in the morning. There was no sense in delaying. He could write the letters tonight and leave them at Sheldon's tomorrow along with his keys once the moving company was done. Leonard did not want to go in the apartment and face his nutty roommate so he simply went down to the street and got in his car. Before driving off, he took his cell and turned it off. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone.

Penny had finally gotten up off the floor where she had been crying since Leonard had left. When she had come to the conclusion that she did love Leonard and wanted a life with him, it still had taken her a while to get her thoughts and herself together. Without looking in a mirror, she knew she was a mess. She got up and went to take a shower thinking, I have to talk to Leonard and let him know that he is wrong. I have to let him know that I want all of those beautiful things that he wants. I have to apologize to him for making him feel anything other than the best thing in my life. Before Penny stepped into the shower, she called Leonard. Just as Leonard powered down his phone, Penny hit her speed dial for him. It went straight to voicemail. Penny knew that meant his phone was off and she knew why. It wasn't any secret to any of them that Leonard was head over heels in love with Penny. Knowing him the way she does, she knew he was hurting. She knew how hard it had been for him to say and do the things he did today. She knew he would rather cut off his arm than break up with her. Yes, she knew he was hurting bad and she was hurting for him especially since she was the cause of it. She has to fix this. Penny thought for a moment then started smiling as an idea came to her. She would take a shower, put on that little blue dress that Leonard loved seeing her in and go over to his apartment and explain her feelings to him beg him to take her back. She knew Leonard couldn't resist her and she would use everything in her arsenal to get him back only this time she would make sure he never had a reason to doubt her love and devotion to him. With her plan formulated, Penny headed to the shower feeling much better.

After the shower, makeup and dress, Penny went across the hall to find Leonard. When she walked in, she saw Sheldon in his spot watching TV.

"Hey moon pie" Penny said to Sheldon while smiling.

"Penny," Sheldon exclaimed! "I've told on numerous occasions that only my meemaw calls me that so will you please refrain from calling me that. And why are all gussied up?"

Laughing she said, "ok Sheldon, I'll stop calling you moon pie and I'm all gussied up because I wanted surprise Leonard" she said looking around.

"Is he in his room?"

"No, I haven't seen Leonard since he told me he was going over to see you. He is already late taking me to the train store."

Penny did not like the sound of that. Leonard had not come back to his apartment after he left her and his phone was off. She was starting to get worried. Penny called Howard and Raj and they both said they had not seen or heard from Leonard. Penny was starting to panic.

"Penny, what did you do?" Sheldon asked her.

"What do you mean Sheldon?"

"Well, looking at you it's easy to see that you and Leonard had some kind of a falling out. You are wearing his favorite dress but you are very nervous and calling all of Leonard's friends just because he is not home yet."

Penny put her head down and mumbled something.

"You guys broke up and it's all your fault" Sheldon repeated.

Penny looked up startled and then she remembered.

"Damn your Vulcan hearing! Yes we broke and it's all my fault."

"Well, you two have broken up many many times before and have always gotten back together despite my protests so I'm sure you two will get back together once again."

"No, I don't think so Sheldon, not this time."

"Why is that Penny?"

She looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Because this is the first time that he has broken up with me!"

Sheldon did not have a reply for that. This was a new development. Everyone knew Leonard would always take Penny back no matter what she did but never would Sheldon have ever thought Leonard would break up with Penny.

"Would you like a hot beverage?" Sheldon asked Penny because social convention required it.

Meanwhile, since it was dusk, Leonard had gone to the university to pack up his stuff. He went to his lab first since that would be quick and easy. Well, he thought it would be quick and easy. The actual packing up part was not a problem. It was them memories of the times Penny had come and surprised him here. When he looked at the desk they had made love on, the nostalgia started setting in and his chest started to hurt. He had so many firsts with her. She had brought him out of his shell and given him the strength to stand up for himself. It was ironic that the strength and courage it took for him to end the relationship with Penny was taught to him by Penny. He finished packing up the lab which was basically one box and carried it up to his office. As he started packing up his office, he realized it wouldn't be a lot to pack up in here either. Leonard came to work to work so there were not too many personal items for him to take. He would not be taking any paperwork since the university had to examine it first for proprietary rights. Since technically, he still worked for the university, they would forward all paperwork dealing with his experiments to him in Texas. Leonard ended up with three boxes and wheeled down to security on a dolly.

"Hello Sam," Leonard greeted the security officer.

"Hey Leonard, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine Sam. How is Henry doing with his science?"

Henry is Sam's 14 year old son who had been struggling in science. Leonard had overheard Sam talking about it one day and offered to tutor him.

*****FLASHBACK*****

 _Leonard is walking by and waves to Sam since Sam is on the phone talking to his wife._

" _I know hon but I can't just go up to one of the guys and say can you help my son, he's having problems in his science class. These are for real scientist who do big stuff here," Sam said into the phone. He pauses to listen to what his wife is replying back to him._

" _I understand what you are saying baby but they don't pay me to bother these guys with my problems." Again Sam pauses to listen._

" _Ok hon, I'll see what I can do. Love you too. Bye."_

 _Sam did not notice that Leonard had stopped after he passed by and was waiting for Sam to finish his call._

" _Hello Officer Mitchell" Leonard greeted him._

" _Hello Dr. Hofstadter, what can I do for you today?"_

" _As I was passing by, and mind you I wasn't eavesdropping, I heard you say something about your son having trouble in science and was wondering if I could help?"_

" _Oh don't worry about it Dr. Hofstadter, I know you wouldn't eavesdrop" Sam said._

 _To say Sam was surprised that a big time scientist had offered to help his kid would be an understatement. Sam didn't know what scientist charged to tutor but knew he would not be able to afford it._ _When Sam had asked how much, Leonard had looked insulted._

" _Officer Mitchell, I wouldn't think of taking one red cent from you just to help out a fellow scientist with his work" Leonard stated._

 _Sam was a proud man and had never taken charity in his life and was not about to start now even though he knew if his wife found out he was turning down help for their son because of his pride she would skin him alive._

" _Dr. Hofstadter, I'm not a charity case and can take of my family just fine."_

" _Officer Mitchell, when did you hear anyone call you a charity case? We work at the same place, speak to each other every day and right now have an easy solution to help your son with his science, something I've been told I'm pretty good at" Leonard said smiling._

 _Sam had a slight smile on his face now because the situation was a little comical. He knew that Dr. Hofstadter was indeed just trying to help and not looking down on him. Everyone liked Dr. Hofstadter because he was a down to earth guy, not one of those stuffy uptight scientists like that Dr. Cooper idiot. He had seen with his own eyes, on a day to day basis, how Dr. Hofstadter treated everyone the same. From the President of the university to the Janitor of the university, everyone got treated the same. Even the students liked him because he treated them like people._

" _Ok, Dr. Hofstadter, I accept but I am going to pay you for your services."_

" _Ok Officer Mitchell if you do two things for me I will accept your terms" Leonard stated while grinning._

 _Sam almost broke out laughing as he was sure Dr. Hofstadter was having the same problem. Here were two grown men acting like they were negotiating a peace treaty to stop a war rather than tutoring a 14 year old boy. Sam was looking at Leonard slyly trying to figure out what he was up to._

" _Ok Dr. Hofstadter, what are these two things?" Sam asked._

" _First, my name is Leonard and second, since you insist on paying me, I have heard from some of your fellow officers that no one can match your wife's cooking expertise. How about I eat dinner with you guys on the days I tutor your son as payment. Come on, you have to say yes to this. I'm a single man; I don't get many home cooked meals. Please."_

 _Now Sam was actually laughing out loud. Damn but he liked this guy. He was practically begging Sam to let him help his kid and not be paid in the process. This guy was one of a kind._

" _I accept your terms Leonard but I have one condition of my own, the name is Sam."_

 _Leonard, who was also laughing, held out his hand for a shake._

" _And I accept your terms Sam" Leonard said as they shook hands._

" _Now call your wife and make sure she accepts both of our terms because my stomach is growling already," Leonard said as he started back down the hall._

*****END FLASHBACK*****

"Leonard, it's like night and day. We can't get him to talk about anything but science. Now that he understands what the teacher asking of him, he can answer the questions easily. I don't know what you did to get him so excited about it but my wife said she is going to start fixing you a lunch right along with mine every day."

"Well, let Michelle know she is off the hook for my lunches because I'm leaving California tomorrow" Leonard said.

Sam looked at Leonard to see if he was serious.

"You're really leaving Leonard?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I just cleaned out my lab and my office and was bringing the boxes to you so you can check them before I leave."

"Sure Leonard, I'll check the boxes."

Sam was quiet as he checked the boxes. He didn't know how to take the news that Leonard was leaving. They had gotten to be pretty good friends. His wife was nuts about him and his son could never stop talking about him.

"Ok Leonard, your boxes are clear to go."

Leonard held out his hand to Sam and Sam immediately took it to shake it.

"I'm going miss you and your family Sam. I really value your friendship. Please let Henry know he can still call me anytime if he needs help. Tell Michelle I'll send you guys my new address when I have it so she can send me my payment dinner in the mail," Leonard said smiling.

"Deal, Sam said also smiling. Really going to miss you around here Leonard! Just leave the dolly on the curve there. I'll take it back for you. Save you a trip."

"Take care Sam," Leonard said.

"You do the same Leonard."

Leonard put the boxes in his car, waved at Sam and got in and drove off. When he got to the hotel he was staying in, he left the boxes in the car and went up to his room. Leonard settled into his room for the night and started writing the letters he would leave for his friends the following day. He was pretty calm considering he was about to uproot his life here in California and start anew in Texas, a place where he had never been and did not know anyone. It was ironic that his new location would put him closer to Penny's hometown in Nebraska. Leonard went back to writing the letters trying to convey to each of them how sorry he was for not saying goodbye face to face. He was going to really miss them but everything here would remind him of Penny, including his friends. He also didn't think it would be fair to them if they thought they had to take sides. He didn't want that. Leonard finished the letters and started working on his itinerary for the following day. If the moving company was able to come in the morning, he would be able to get on the road by noon. Leonard finished his itinerary and went to take a shower. He wanted to get to bed early since he was going to have a long busy day tomorrow. After his shower, he set his alarm and was almost asleep before his head hit the pillow. His last thoughts were of a blue eyed, blonde head beauty with angelic face.

 **Next Chapter: Execute**


	3. Chapter 3

**Leonard's Decision!**

 **This is traveling day for Leonard.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2:** **I don't own TBBT or any of their characters.** **To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Chapter 3: Execute**

The following morning, Leonard woke to his alarm going off and jumped up ready to get started. He took a quick shower and dressed. He had already put everything in his car so when he went down he just threw his overnight bag in the car and was ready to go. He figured he would stop and get something to eat along the way but he was anxious to get out of California. According to his calculations, traveling on I-10, it would take him about 9 ½ hours to reach Arizona. The overall trip was about 22 ½ hours. He figured he would do the bulk of his driving on the first day so he could get out of California. He would drive about 10 hours the first day, 8 hours the next day and finish up with about 4 hours or so left. That would put him there at midday and he could get some paperwork done. He wanted to be processed and indoctrinated right away so he could get to work. So without any fanfare, Leonard was on his way to Texas. Leonard figured Dr. Connors would be in by 9:00 am so he would call him then and let him know that he was accepting the position. Since Leonard had started out so early, traffic was light and travel was enjoyable. Since he had no one in the car pestering him, he enjoyed the peacefulness of the drive along with the scenery. The first day went off without a hitch. Leonard called Dr. Connors at 9:00 am and informed him he would take the job. He was asked when would he be leaving and laughing, Leonard told him he was already on the road and would be there in another 2 days. Dr. Connors was ecstatic that not only had Leonard accepted the position but was already on his way to them. Dr. Connors assured Leonard that he would have everything ready for him when he arrived. Leonard reached his goal of leaving California when he saw the welcome to Arizona sign. He drove another ½ hour searching for one of the hotels the university would reimburse him for. It was a 5 star hotel and Leonard thoroughly enjoyed the accommodations'. He was up early the next morning refreshed and again was ahead of traffic and had an easy drive. Leonard was enjoying his trip while mentally putting together the outline of a training plan for the classes he would be teaching. Again he reached his goal. He was actually in Texas now and was excited. Again, the hotel he stayed in was 5 star and after a good meal, he took a shower and was out before his head hit the pillow. The next morning he was up before his alarm went off. He took a quick shower, enjoyed a hot breakfast as he didn't think he would have lunch and was off again. His calculations had been pretty good and he arrived about noon. He met Dr. Connors, who introduced him to Dr. Stevenson, the president of the university. They both said they would make time to show him around but he declined a tour of the campus asking if they could get right to signing all the paperwork so he would be prepared to start as soon as possible. Unknown to Leonard, this pleased both men. So far, the information they had received on Dr. Hofstadter was point on. They were told he would hit the ground running and he was prepared to do just that. They brought him back to the president's office where the representative from HR was waiting with all the papers. They went over them quickly and since Leonard had done this before, he knew what to look for on each form and was able to sign quickly seeing everything he needed. They also had the housing rep there. The housing rep took Leonard out and drove him around in golf cart so he could see the houses. Leonard asked which ones were closest to his lab. When he was shown the houses, he saw the one he wanted right off. It was overlooking the lake that was on campus. Beyond the lake was a tree line. He asked if that one was available and was told it was. He was taken on a tour inside and was pleasantly surprised to see the master bedroom window was facing the lake and tree line view. He told the housing rep he would take this one. She told him it was a 3 bedroom instead of a 2 bedroom but if he didn't mind the extra bedroom it was still ok for him to take it. He said he didn't mind at all. What he didn't know was in order to keep him happy, the president had told the housing rep to give him any house he wanted, no questions asked. They went back to the office to sign the papers. The housing rep told him that by the time he finished here today, his house would be ready for him to move in. The house would have a thorough scrubbing and all the utilities would be on. After cleaning, they would turn on the refrigerator for him so if he wanted to pick up a few things first, the refrigerator would be ready. Leonard spent the rest of the day signing papers and by the time he was done he was mentally drained. The last thing Dr. Connors did was show Leonard the classroom he would be teaching in and his new lab. Leonard was impressed with both and was pleased that his classroom was close by his lab. Dr. Connors told Leonard he was going to cut him loose now so he could get his equilibrium back on track. He gave Leonard his campus ID's, his car decals which allowed him to park anywhere except handicap, a list with names and numbers, a map of the campus, a map of the surrounding city and keys to his classroom and lab. He highlighted on the campus map how to get to his house. He told Leonard they had a store on campus if he wanted to pick up a couple of things without having to leave the campus. He highlighted that on his map also. Leonard told him he thought he was set for the evening and would be ok. Dr. Connors told him to come to President Stevenson's office at 9:00 am in the morning and they would start putting his teaching schedule and lab schedule together and then bid him goodnight. Leonard stop by the campus store and picked up a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper, a dozen eggs, pancake mix, milk, bread, orange juice, vegetable oil, butter, snacks, cold cuts and bacon. He thought this would be enough to get him through until he had time to go to a supermarket and shop. He saw there was a Chinese place by the store so he picked up some dinner to take home with him. He drove to his new home, and sure enough, the place looked spotless and smelled clean. He was happy the place came furnished. He was told he could replace anything he wanted with his own furniture but the place was tastefully done and he didn't think anything needed changing. He doubted if he would be entertaining any guest here and his taste were simple. Leonard got to work putting his perishables away so they wouldn't go bad and then brought everything in from his car. They had offered to have the moving people put it in for him but he told them he didn't have much so he didn't need them. Leonard got everything in and then sat down to eat his meal. After eating, Leonard went exploring his new house. He found there were three bathrooms. There was one in the master bedroom, one shared by the other two bedrooms and one in the hall. He was amused that there was a TV in each bedroom as well as the living room. He noticed that the bed in the master bedroom looked bigger than when he first saw it this afternoon. He must be more tired than he thought. Again, unknown to him, the president had instructed the housing rep that if there wasn't a king size bed in which ever house Dr. Hofstadter chose, to have one put in immediately. Leonard liked the fact that the house had both a front porch and a back screened in patio. Smiling, he thought yeah, I think I could get used to this. After he took a shower he put his pajamas on and got in between his nice soft sheets and was asleep instantly.

While Leonard had been driving across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, his ex-girlfriend and friends had been frantic. On Sunday, no one except Penny panicked. She desperately needed to talk to Leonard but he would not answer his phone and he was nowhere to be found. Everyone tried to get Penny to relax. Howard and Raj tried to reassure her that they would stand right beside him at work tomorrow and make him call her. Somewhat pacified, Penny said ok, she would try not to worry. That didn't last long as the guys were forced to call Penny and tell her Leonard had not shown up for work. They looked everywhere for him and could not find him. Since Leonard had mailed the letters he wrote to them on Sunday morning when he left California, his friends did not receive them until Tuesday. Everyone received a letter except Sheldon.

 _Raj Letter:_

 _Hey Raj, I'm ok. I took a job in another state. Penny and I broke up and I felt I needed a fresh start. I value your friendship and hope that you will remain my friend. I'm sorry for saying goodbye with a letter but I didn't think I had it in me to do it in person. I will call you when I'm settled. I want you to know that I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. I think you are one of the best if not the best astrophysicist. I heard this saying once and I think it especially applies to you. Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars._

 _Your friend_

 _Leonard._

 _Amy's Letter:_

 _Hey Amy, I'm ok. I took a job in another state. Penny and I broke up and I felt I needed a fresh start. I love her but we wanted different things. I won't go into detail. I know she's your bestie and I'm glad because she probably needs you and Bernie more than she knows. Thank you for being such a good friend to her. Do me a favor and please keep an eye on her. Thanks._

 _Leonard_

 _Howard and Bernadette Letter_

 _Hey Howard and Bernadette, I'm ok. I took a job in another state. Penny and I broke up and I felt I needed a fresh start. You both have been very good friends to me and I thank you for that. You each deserve a separate letter of your own but I didn't want you guys to ever think there was anything secret between me and one of you. Howard, I have no doubt that intellectually, you know I only think of Bernie as a sister and would never try anything with her but when emotions come into play we can be blinded. I couldn't live with myself if I ever did anything to for you to doubt that so one letter for both of you. Howard, this unbelievable woman that is your wife, cherish her always. Your greatest accomplishment was not going to space. Your greatest accomplishment goes to sleep with you every night and wakes up with you every morning. Do not ever take her for granted. Remember, she fell in love with you. Not some act you were putting on. She fell in love and is in love with Howard Wolowitz. Bernie, I am so glad you married my friend. You saw in him what I always saw in him. This guy would give you the shirt off his back. He is one of the kindest guys I have ever met and has a heart of gold. I know I don't have to tell you this. Bernie, don't ever give up him. He loves you so much that I think it would really break him. The thing is, you guys are made for each other. I think about you two together and it makes me smile because two of the people who mean the most to me are to halves that make each other whole. I need two favors from you. One, please take care of each other. You guys deserve happiness. Two, please take care of Penny for me. I love her and will always love her and it would crush me if anything happened to her. Thank you for being my friends_

 _Your friend always_

 _Leonard_

 _Penny's Letter:_

 _Hey Penny, I'm ok. I took a job in another state. I just needed a fresh start. I'll make this short as I've already said everything I needed to say to you. I'm sorry I could not be what you wanted. I would have given anything to be that person. I love you and I'm afraid I will always love you. Maybe one day I will get up the courage to call you just to say hello. Anyway, don't worry, I'm fine. I hope you find what you are looking for. Please be happy._

 _Leonard_

Everyone immediately headed over to Penny's when they had read their letters. Amy arrived first and didn't even bother to knock. She barged in calling Penny's name and stopped immediately as it was evident that Leonard knew Penny pretty well. She was on the floor crying with Leonard's letter clutched in her hand. Amy rushed over to her and sat on the floor with her and pulled her into her arms trying to comfort her as she silently cried with her bestie. Howard and Bernadette arrived next and both their hearts broke. Bernadette immediately went and sat on the other side of Penny and wrapped her arms around her as she also cried with her friend. Raj, being the only one without a car, arrived and immediately started crying at the scene he was watching. Howard went and got the blanket off of Penny's bed and wrapped it around the three friends. He told Raj they would go over to Sheldon's while Bernie and Amy comforted Penny. They closed the door on what was the saddest thing they had ever seen. Howard knocked on the door and Sheldon opened the door and let them in. He immediately started barking out orders for whatever night it was. Neither Howard nor Raj paid attention to him. Finally tired of being ignored, Sheldon asked them what was going on. Howard told him that Leonard was gone and had written everyone a letter explaining why he left.

"Why did he say he left?" Sheldon queried.

"He said he and Penny broke up and he got a job in another state." Howard responded.

"This is preposterous!" Sheldon yelled. "Leonard has not left. We have a binding roommate agreement that very clearly outlines the circumstances under which Leonard can leave. Breaking up with a girlfriend is not one of those reasons."

"Dude, you need to get a grip and take a look around this place. Nothing of Leonard's is here. Also, there is nothing binding about that roommate agreement. Leonard didn't do those things for you because of some cockamamie roommate agreement. He did them because he thought you were his friend." Raj stated.

"It's still not possible" Sheldon stated. "You said everyone received a letter. I did not receive a letter from Leonard."

"Why would he send you a letter?" Howard asked. "Sheldon, you treated Leonard like crap, well you treat everyone like crap, but you dumped on Leonard the most even though he was the one person who always stood by you. You constantly belittled Leonard and told him he was beneath you and was only good for driving you around. And why did you do that? Because your IQ scores are a few points higher than his. Both of your scores are in the genius range but your oversize ego just can't handle the fact that Leonard is also a genius. You didn't acknowledge his work even though his work with lasers is making major break throughs while your work has proven nothing."

"Still, social convention requires that Leonard send me a letter" Sheldon protested.

"Dude, you just don't get it, do you? Raj began. You didn't receive a letter because Leonard only sent letters to people he considers to be his friends. It's quite apparent that he feels you don't fit into that category." Raj finished.

"I can't stay here with him." Howard stated angrily. "I'm going to sit in the car."

"Wait up dude." Raj called out. "It's a little to stuffy in here for me too. I'm going with you."

"I did this!" Penny wailed. "I ran off the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm so stupid. I don't blame Leonard. It's amazing he stuck with me as long as he did. Do you know what he told me he wanted?" Penny started crying really hard.

Bernadette and Amy were getting very worried about their friend. They could not get her to calm down.

"Penny, please try to calm down!" Bernadette said to her. "You are going to make yourself sick."

"You don't understand!" Penny cried.

"Why don't you go ahead and tell us what he said wanted." Amy requested.

"He said he loved me and wanted to marry me and wanted to have babies with me and live in a house with me with white picket fence." Penny stated. "WHO TURNS THAT DOWN?" She screamed. "Just the idiot that sweet caring man had the unfortunate bad luck to fall in love with. He told me what every woman wishes a man would tell her. The only difference is you both know Leonard. He would do everything in his power to make that happen. His goal in life was to make me happy and there was nothing that would stop him from making that happen."

Penny put her head down and started crying again as she whispered between sobs

"Nothing except me." She cried miserably.

Seeing how miserable her friend was, was making Bernadette very nervous. She didn't think Penny would hurt herself but she wasn't going to take any chances. She pulled out her phone and called Howard.

"Hey Bernie." he answered. "How is she?"

"Howard, please go pack me an overnight bag. I'm staying here with Penny tonight."

"That bad huh?" He responded sadly. "Ok Bernie, I'm already at the car so I'll leave for home right now and pack a bag for you."

"Thanks Howard. I love you." She declared.

"I love you too Bernie." Howard responded and then hung up.

"Come on Raj, I need to run home and pack an overnight bag for Bernie. Apparently Penny is taking Leonard's leaving really hard so Bernie is going to stay with her tonight." Howard informed Raj.

Raj put his head down trying to keep from crying himself. Raj understood why Leonard felt he had to do what he did. He knew there was no way Leonard would be able to live across the hall from the woman of his dreams. It would all but kill him if he saw some other man come out of her apartment. But Raj was hurting for his two friends. He could not stomach the thought of two of the best people he knew living in misery. He got in the car with Howard and off they went to get Bernadette's overnight bag.


	4. Chapter 4

**Leonard's Decision!**

 **Leonard starts getting acclimated to his new life.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2:** **I don't own TBBT or their characters.** **To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Chapter 4: Fresh Start**

Leonard again woke before his alarm went off on Wednesday morning. He got up and looked out of the window and was pleasantly surprised to see the rising sun reflecting off of the lake. Yes, Leonard thought, I could definitely get used to this. He stayed in that spot watching as the sun continued to rise until his alarm actually went off snapping him out of the trance this tranquil scene had lulled him into. Leonard went and took a shower and dressed in a suit. He skipped breakfast as his nervousness was affecting his stomach. He went and jumped into his car and off he went to his 9:00 am meeting with the president of the school.

Back in Pasadena, Penny awoke with swollen eyes and a very red nose. She had cried herself to sleep. She laid there thinking about the huge mistake she had made. She sniffled a little but was determined not to cry anymore. She had no one to blame but herself and lying around crying wasn't going to change anything. She still had bills to pay and she had no safety net now that Leonard was gone.

Penny got up and staggered into the bathroom to take a shower. When she was done, she dressed and applied her makeup on automatic pilot. She then went into the kitchen for coffee and food. She ate some cereal and had a cup of coffee trying unsuccessfully not to think of Leonard. She pulled herself together and left so she could start her shift at the cheesecake factory all the while wondering what Leonard was doing.

Leonard was currently in a meeting with Dr. Connors and Dr. Stevenson. The two men were currently trying to keep their amazement off their faces. Dr. Connors had presented Leonard with the syllabus for his teaching assignment and Leonard had presented both Dr. Connors and Dr. Stevenson with a copy of the teaching curriculum he had constructed which not only matched the syllabus perfectly but added some very unique teaching methods and training aids that both men could clearly see greatly enhanced the classes Leonard would be teaching.

Both men thought they would have to give Leonard at least two weeks to prepare for his teaching assignment but were pleasantly surprised to see he was ready to teach immediately. They looked at each other and smiled both thinking the same thing. How in the world had Caltech let this guy get away?

"Dr. Hofstadter," Dr. Stevenson began. "We were prepared to give you 2 to 4 weeks to get situated and get your training plan together but you have already gone beyond what we were expecting from you. This makes it easy as your classes are already full and ready to go. We informed the students to sign up before we even knew you were coming. We have been doing this for a while now so that when we did get an instructor, all we would have to do is notify the students. They were notified as soon as you accepted. The times for your classes were kept as open slots for the students so no other classes would be interrupted when you began. I will leave it up to you when you want to start teaching."

"Well, I guess tomorrow would be too soon for the students in case they have made plans for those open slots so how about we put the word out today that classes will start next Monday. That gives me the rest of the week to get acquainted with my fellow professors, get my lab set up, get my orientation around the campus accomplished, do some grocery and clothes shopping and of course go over my syllabus and class curriculum." Leonard answered.

"That sounds perfect Dr. Hofstadter." Dr. Stevenson replied. "There's a huge mall not too far from the campus for you to do your clothes shopping and a large supermarket right outside the campus for your food shopping. If you want, we can assign someone to be your tour guide to help get you oriented with the campus. There's a faculty meeting scheduled for tomorrow and we will introduce you to your fellow professors there. If there is anything else we can do to help make your transition a smooth one, don't hesitate to let us know."

Leonard thought for a moment before answering. "No Dr. Stevenson; I think you guys have me set up pretty good. I should be ok for now."

"Very well Dr. Hofstadter; we'll cut you lose so you can finish setting up your lab and teaching schedules." Dr. Stevenson informed Leonard bringing the meeting to a close.

All three men rose and shook hands before Leonard left to continue his day. The rest of the week was very busy for Leonard. He used the rest of the day to get his lab set up. This took a while as this lab was much bigger than the one he had at Caltech. He took his time and made sure everything was in exactly the right place as his time was going to be in short supply with him also teaching. He needed to be able to come into his lab and get right to work without a lot of adjusting or moving things around.

On Thursday, he went clothes and food shopping. He missed Penny but in this instance, he really missed Penny. She would have been able to hook his wardrobe up in no time. He was fortunate enough to find a young saleslady named Jessica who was able to help him. After telling her his job and explaining to her that he didn't want to look like an old fuddy duddy professor, which had Jessica cracking up, she was able to hook Leonard up with a stylish wardrobe of suits, leisure, casual and athletic wear. Before Leonard left, he sought out the manager and gave Jessica a glowing report and asked if they had a card that he could send up to their corporate headquarters acknowledging their outstanding customer service.

Leonard's clothes shopping had taken hours and he was exhausted. He didn't know how Penny thought this was a fun way to spend the day. He felt a stab of pain in his heart as a picture of a laughing Penny flashed in his mind. He knew he would never get over her but he also knew he had to move on.

Leonard got all of his purchases back home and started separating them. Socks, underwear and other items that did not need to be ironed or dry cleaned to get the wrinkles out of them were thrown on the bed in the spare bedroom. He wasn't sure if he would have enough energy to put them away later on and he didn't want to move them off of his bed when he was ready to go to sleep. Everything that was going to the dry cleaners was put on the back of the couch so he could grab them when he went back out. Leonard got a Dr. Pepper out the fridge and went and sat out on his back porch and just relaxed while taking in the scenery. He loved the tranquility.

After relaxing for a while, Leonard finished his drink and felt he was energized enough to go to the supermarket for food shopping. Leonard had decided he was going to eat less take out and do more cooking. He had found an online healthy cooking site that he thought would be perfect for him. Just browsing through, he had seen a couple of dishes he wanted to try. The website was setup to make creating a shopping list easy. You just downloaded the app onto your phone. Once you opened the app, you just tapped on the dish you wanted and then tapped shopping list and all the ingredients you needed to make the dish came up in a shopping list format.

Leonard picked up his clothes to drop at the cleaners and headed out. After he dropped the clothes at the dry cleaners on campus he headed over to the main building to attend the faculty meeting. He was introduced to everyone and was welcomed by all. After the meeting, Leonard headed off campus to the supermarket. He was able to find everything he needed. Leonard returned home and put all of his groceries away. He had picked up some take out on the way home as he knew he was not going to be in the mood to cook today. After eating, he took a shower and was glad he had put his new clothes on the bed in the spare bedroom. He barely had the energy to crawl under the covers and was asleep before he knew it.

On Friday, Leonard requested a guide to help him learn his way around the campus. Dr. Connors was free and volunteered to take Leonard around himself. He said he wanted to talk with Leonard some more on his laser projects. Dr. Connors and Leonard toured the campus for hours while Leonard explained where he was with the project, the breakthroughs he had made so far and the goal he wanted to ultimately achieve with his research. Dr. Connors was fascinated with the way Leonard's mind worked. Some of the things he wanted to do with lasers were unimaginable but were definitely possible.

Once he was back home, Leonard once again grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge and went out on his back porch to relax. Along with the regular patio chairs, there was also a lounge chair on the porch and Leonard decided to put it to good use. He lay back in the lounge with a smile on his face and couldn't stop the moan of contentment that escaped his lips as he got comfortable.

Leonard used the weekend to pick up his dry cleaning and get his home in order. This was his last free weekend before he began teaching. He spent Saturday arranging the house as he wanted it and putting all of his clothes in the closets and drawers. He cooked several different dishes so he would have lunch and dinner that just needed heating up during the week. He dedicated Sunday to reviewing and tweaking his class curriculum. By the time he went to bed, he felt well satisfied that he had put himself in a very good position to be successful with this fresh start on life.

The next morning, Leonard was ready for his first day of teaching. He had an excited type of nervousness about him but he wasn't afraid. He was actually looking forward to it. The thought of being able to open up young minds to the endless possibilities of the universe was an unbelievable motivational tool for him to draw upon. Leonard sat at his desk as the students started to enter. Leonard was surprised when the last student came in and his class was fairly large. Leonard got to work right away. He got up and went and stood in front of the class.

"Good morning everyone; my name is Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. I have written the correct spelling on the board behind me. I realize that can be a mouthful so any of the following names will be ok with me: Dr. Hoff, Professor Hoff, Dr. H or Professor H."

That got a couple of snickers throughout the class.

"Now, a little about me; I'm an experimental physicist by trade. High powered lasers are my specialty. I transferred here from Caltech in Pasadena, California. Yes, I came from heat to even more heat."

This got another chuckle out of the class. Leonard had gotten their undivided attention right away when he mentioned he worked with high powered lasers. Leonard continued speaking to them as he went back to his desk.

"If you all will just bear with me a minute, I will take roll and then we will get to it." Leonard advised them.

After he had taken roll, he again went and stood in front of the class.

"Ok ladies and gentlemen, we are going to do something a little different today so put your books away; you won't need them today. As a matter of fact, put everything back into your backpacks as you won't need any of it today." Leonard instructed.

After everyone had followed Leonard instructions, he began speaking to them again.

"Good, now everyone come down here with me." Leonard again instructed.

Once Leonard had everyone down at the front of the class, he began breaking them up.

"I want all of my scientist who also play sports to sit over there" Leonard instructed pointing to the left side of the room.

All of the jocks went and sat where Leonard had instructed them.

"All of my scientist who are also musicians, please sit over there" Leonard instructed pointing to the right side of the room. "Just to clarify, if you are taking music because you needed an elective, you do not belong in that group. I only want my scientists who are seriously considering music as a career to join that group."

Some of the students who had started to go over there stopped and came back to the center of the room.

"Now, all my scientist who actually want to be scientist please go and sit in the back of the room." Leonard stated.

After this was done, Leonard had the remaining students sit in the front of the class. Leonard then instructed all groups to arrange their chairs in a circle facing in including one empty chair for him to sit in.

"Now here is what we're going to do" Leonard began. "I'm going to come around and speak with each group individually. We are not going to get into anything to heavy or technical today but I do want to get to know you a little and I want you to get to know me. Basically, we are just going to have a rap session. Does anyone have any questions so far?" Leonard asked.

No one raised their hand.

"Good, I'm going to start with my science athletes so I want my science musicians to talk about Bob Marley until I get to you. I want my scientist in the back of the room to talk about black holes until I get to you and I want my smorgasbord scientist to talk about Stephen Hawkins until I get to you. Just a word of warning, telling me he was a really smart guy in a wheelchair is not going to cut it."

This brought a laugh from the class.

Smiling, Leonard continues "I'm not kidding; I want some serious talking points to discuss with you when I get to your group. I'm going to ask questions about what you discussed and you should be somewhat on the same page to prove you were discussing what I asked you to. Ok, go to it." Leonard instructed as he walked over to his science athletes and dove right in.

"Ok ladies and gentlemen, here's the deal; there are going to be two types of science athletes in this group. The first type of science athletes is the ones that only have a passion for athletics but need this class to graduate."

Leonard saw a couple of heads go down or look anywhere except at him automatically outing themselves.

"I'm warning you now you will struggle in this class and probably fail. In my class, you will come in and work your butts off. I'm sure there are other science classes you can take if you just need it as an elective but rest assured, this class is not an easy A or B or C or D. In other words, there is no easy grade in my class. If you are here to coast through I highly suggest you find another science class but if you are here to learn, this class will not be a problem for you. If you have no interest in science, I seriously advise you to make this the last time you enter my classroom."

"Now, the second type of science athletes is the ones who have more than one passion but are being forced to choose just one. This can be a coach directing you that you need only concentrate on the sport you play or a parent stating that to be successful you need to pick one or peer-pressure from your friends and finally maintaining your cool points and cool reputation. It's a common misconception for athletes to think that if they also have a passion for mathematics or science, they are not real athletes and will be ridiculed and laughed at. I know no one wants that and I'm here to tell you that that is not the case. You will learn this in our next session."

Leonard paused and made it a point to look into the eyes of each of them before he continued.

"The reason I have you isolated like this is because we are going to come to an understanding. First, those of you who need this class to graduate, I suggest you come in here prepared to work your butts off and not disrupt my class in anyway. This is not your sit in the back of the room and do-nothing class. You do that and you will fail. You disrupt my class, you get kicked out. I will sign any transfers at the end of class today if you want out."

"For those of you who have a passion for your sport and an equal passion for science, this class will be your haven. I will challenge you to open your minds and reach for the stars. I don't believe one passion should be disregarded for another passion. I think you are all young and bright and should be allowed to challenge yourselves and go all out for every passion you have. I'm warning you now, I will push you hard. I will not give up on you. I will never ever tell you to give up one passion for another."

"Now this session is just a preliminary session to let you know what I'm about and for you to realize you have a choice. What I want you to do is find a quiet place and think about what I have said here today and figure out what you want to do. I will hold another session like this one but it will only be with you guys in class that day so we can really get into this. Some of you won't be there which is fine but those of you who are in that session; I can promise you right now that you will get to explore science to the fullest extent of your imagination."

"Ok, I'm going to go talk to my science musicians now. You guys are not to discuss anything we just talked about in this session. For the rest of the class you are to discuss Jackie Robinson." Leonard said with a smile as he got up and left the group leaving some very confused students in his wake.

Leonard had basically the same talk with each group except his science smorgasbord group. Their talk went a little differently.

"Ok people, as we are almost out of time, I'll make this short and sweet. If any of you are in my class for a free ride, see me after class and I will sign your transfer slip. This is not the class for you I am definitely not the professor for you. If you don't believe me and want to take the chance of failing this class be my guest. I can guarantee you right now you won't make it past the first week. If you are tardy twice, I will kick you out of my class. If you are absent twice, I will kick you out of my class. I will not tolerate anyone coming in here and doing nothing. I will not tolerate anyone disrupting my class in anyway. I will not let anyone interfere with those who want to learn."

"Don't take this the wrong way; I'm not saying you have to want to be a scientist to be in my class. What I am saying is you will come in here ready to work and participate in all science experiments and discussions. You will come in here with your completed homework assignments and they had better show that you put some thought and effort into them. As I said, you don't have to want to be a scientist to take my class but your actions and your work should look as though you do want to be scientists. If any of you decide to stay, you will be a part of my science group that I had sitting in the back of the room. I will only have three groups and a smorgasbord group is not one of them."

The bell sounded. As Leonard got up, he gave them one last statement.

"Think about what I have said very carefully before you come back in here. Everyone who wants to drop my class, line up at my desk and I will sign your drop slip."

A line formed at Leonard's desk as the others filed out of the classroom. As the students walked down the halls to their next class, they were all deep in thought. They were all thinking that the nerdy little professor who looked like he was scared of his own shadow was no pushover. That is the only thought that they all had in common. After that their thoughts were all over the place. Some were already trying to think of another class they could transfer to that they could slack off in. Some were trying to figure out if this guy was for real. Some were thinking should I really believe that his class will be a safe haven which will allow me to pursue my passion for science also. Unbelievably, most of the students were thinking 'yes' finally a real physics teacher who will actually teach physics.

Leonard's day and week went pretty much the same as he wanted to trim his class down to just serious students and get to work with them right away. By the end of the week, Leonard had his class set. It was smaller than it was on the first day but it was still a full sized class.

He instructed his science athlete group to come in on Monday and they would have free periods on Wednesday and Friday.

He instructed his science musician group to come in on Wednesday and they would have free periods on Monday and Friday.

He instructed his scientist group to come in on Friday and they would have free periods on Monday and Wednesday.

He advised his students that the following week would be the last time they got free periods. The class would be meeting together as a whole after that. He gave homework assignments to the whole class and advised them that they could waste their free periods doing whatever they wanted do or they could use that time wisely and get their assignments done. He warned them that he could care less which option they chose but he would not except any excuses if their assignments were not turned in completed and on time on the following Monday. He also reminded them that they were in college now so book answers and subpar answers were not acceptable. Answers had to be correct and they had to show that some original thought was put into them. Leonard smiled as he heard the groans from his students.

Back in Pasadena, Sheldon finally got what he had been claiming he wanted; Solitude. Leonard had not only moved out but moved away. Howard never liked Sheldon because of the way he treated him and talked down to him. He only came over to the apartment because Leonard was there. Now that Leonard was gone, Howard no longer had a reason to go to Sheldon's apartment and stopped going. When Howard stopped going, this automatically stopped Bernadette and Raj from going by association. Penny no longer went over to the apartment because it would remind her of Leonard and cause her to cry. Amy continued to go over to the apartment since her boyfriend lived there but without the others as a buffer, she was finding out that it just was not fun to be alone with Sheldon all evening.

Unfortunately for Sheldon, he was starting to learn the hard way that not only had his personal life been tied to his roommate but his professional life as well. He never knew Leonard had acted as a buffer between him and management. He didn't know about the numerous times Leonard had spoken on his behalf to save him from getting fired.

At first little things at work started happening that Sheldon couldn't figure out. He was back to eating alone in the cafeteria at lunchtime. He tried to tell himself that he preferred it this way because everyone at Caltech was beneath him. He barely said a word at work anymore as there was no one to talk to. He mistakenly thought upper management was finally starting to take notice of his brilliance as several of them had stopped by to ask him questions on string theory. That was before the head of the Physics department informed him that he had 6 months to present something positive on his string theory work or it would be completely shut down. Sheldon screamed that they couldn't do that but he was reminded that he had been working on this for years and had not produced one single significant discovery to support continuing to waste money on this project.

Sheldon had gone home on automatic pilot. He was sitting at home in his spot, numb. He was just staring off into space. He just could not figure out what was going on in his universe.


End file.
